Radio navigation



'Dem 12,1944. D, G, C, LUCK 2,364,731

RADIO NAVIGATION Filed April 1, 19'42 2 sheets-sheet 1 com/'P455 Dec. 12, 1944. Dj G, C, LUCK 2,364,731

RADIO' NAVIGATION Filed April 1, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :inventor (I fforncg Patented Dec. 12, 1944 RADIO NAVIGATION David G. C. Luck, Merchantville, N. J., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application April 1, 1942, Serial No. 437,184

(Cl. Z50-11) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to radio navigation, and more particularly to the automatic indication on a map of the position of a mobile craft. In general, devices for automatic position plotting by radio require more or less complicated mechanisms involving rotatable pointers for laying down -lines of position over a map, and means for transmitting motion to the pointers without interfering with the placement of their axis of rotation coincident with the map representations of the radio stations from which bearings are taken to control the pointers. An alternative,

also complicated, is the use of a large number of ing radio Compasses and a repeating magnetic or gyro compass, all preferably having automatic correction of quadrantal and other instrumental errors. Throughout this speciiication and in the appended claims, the term earth compass will be used generically to mean any compass tending to maintain itself in a definite alignment with respect to the surface of the earth.

The invention will be' described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 illustrates a plan view of the face of the plotting mechanism; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the plotting mechanism, with schematic illustrations of the actuating devices and their connections to the plotting mechanism; Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of parts of the plotting mechanism; Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of one organization of the invention; Fig. 5 illustrates a modified arrangement of the organization of the invention; and Fig. 6 isa sectional View of a modied form of the plotting mechanism shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 2, a plurality of transparent circular disc members 3, 5, 1 and 9 are supported coaxially within a cylindrical housing I upon a series of ring-shaped members I3, I5, Il and I9 respectively which are provided on their outer peripheries with gear teeth engaged by pinions 23, 25, 21 and 29, respectively. The disc 3 is preferably lightly ground or frosted on its upper surface to enable pencilled notations to be made upon it and yet allow a clear View through it of the lower discs. The discs 5 and 1 (see Fig. 3) are each ruled with a series of parallel lines, which may be colored, for example, red on the disc 5 and blue on the disc .'l. The lines on each disc are made readily distinguishable from each other by the use of different types of lines, such as solid, dash, and dot, so that the eye will be less likely to become confused and jump from one parallel line to another in attempting to follow a selected line. The lowest ring, I9, carries a disk II and supports a circular section 9 of a map which may conveniently be a disc of the proper size cut out of an ordinary sectional aeronautical chart, such as may be purchased from the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.

The disk Il may be hinged or otherwise removably secured within the ring I9, and when in place it holds the map 9 against an internal flange on the ring I9. An inwardly extending projection may be provided on the inner surface of the ring I9 to engage a corresponding cut-out in the periphery of the map to insure accurate map orientation.

The rings I3 and I9, supporting the frosted disc and the map disk respectively are connected to be driven together by pinions 23 and 29 which are secured to a shaft connected to a repeater compass or directional gyro repeater 3l. Preferably the device 3I is of a type which automatically corrects itself from deviations which result from precession or other causes.

Magnetic declination, if present in the earth compass indications, may be compensated by suitably displacing the positioning cut-out in the map; if'the map section is large enough to admit a considerable range in declination, a differential 50 (Fig. 4) driven by a knob 5I bearing a declination scale may be interposed in the map drive and the value corresponding to the approximate position of the craft may be set in manually. The ruled discs 5 and l are connected through the pinions 25 and 2l respectively to shafts which are positioned by automatic self orienting radio direction finders 33 and 35 respectively.

Referring to Fig. 4, the drives may be by flexible shafts, Selsyn motors, or any other remote drive generally indicated at 53, capable of insuring exact correspondence between motions of separated parts, However it is preferable that the drive should be of a type which operates only from transmitter to receiver, i. e., does not load the controlling member.

The housing I is provided with an annular cover 2 made ofsome transparent material and provided on its lower surface with a scale 6. A fixed index such as an arrow 8 is engraved or otherwise marked in the lower surface of the vone position.

cover 2 opposite the zero line of the scale 6. The top surface of the ring I3 is provided with a circular scale 4 which is visible through the transparent cover 2 against the index 8 to affordan indication of the position of the disc 3 and the map disk'll with respect to the body of the instrument.

The operationof the device is as follows: The disc-like map section representing an area including two radio transmitters of which the locations are known, and the position of the craft carrying the device of the invention, is secured to the ring I9 as described above, in a position Y scribing pencilled crosses or other insignia on vthe frostedv surface ofthe disk 3, overthe staltion positionsA as represented on the map, as

indicated in Fig. 1 at A and B. These insignia mayif desired be lmade in colors corresponding to the colors of the lines on the respective discs and l. The receivers of the self orientingdirection nders 33 and 35 are then tuned to the respective transmitter frequencies, whereupon the discs 5 and 1- will be rotated automatically to positions in which the lines ruled on their surfaces will be parallel tothe `directions of arrival of the signalsfrom the respective transmitters. The location of the receiver upon the map is then simply a matter of following the corresponding lines onthe discs 5 and 'l lying nearest the location of the stations A and'B to their point of intersection. Thus, infFig. 1, the position C .is 'found slightly aboveand to the right of the intersection 4I of lines `3l and39. Since the position of the,cover 2 of the plotting device is stationary with respect to the body ofthe craft on which it is carried, the ldirection -in which the craft is headed maybe read from the scale 4, which rotates lwith the map. against the index 8. Each of the central-lines 35 and 43 andthe 'discs 5 and 1,'respectively, is distinguished by an arrowhead which willzpoint toward the station being picked up by the corresponding direction nder. The bearings of theradiotransmitters with respect to the heading of the shipmay be instant application. The switching may be accompanied by actuation of clutches to shift the direction nder drive from one ruleddisc tov the other in synchronism with the switching'of the tuning. In this way,v each station bearing-controls its corresponding disc, but only for a portion of the time. vToprovide the necessary `uniqueness of shaft position, the clutches,"which may be actuated, for'example, by magnetic or pneumatic means, must be arranged to engage in only If thel shafts are connected by gears to their respective discs, meansmust be provided to insure'that the discs donotget out of step with the bearings by an angle correspond- Aing to `an integral multiple '0fV the gear ratio. If l o-fl two preselected frequencies by a set of conl tacts on a multiple pole switch 55 which is periodically operated by means such as a motor driven cam 51. A servo transmitter 59 is conftrolled by the "direction finder 33 and switched in synchronism with the tuning switching from -one to the other of a pair of servo receivers 6| andv t3, which are connected to the kreticula-ted *discs and 'I respectively of the plotting mechanism. The compass repeater V3| isconnected to control a servo transmitter 65 which is connected v ire'ceiver 6l or 53 which is disconnectedlfrom the :representations of the'a'rea over which the device is to be'cperated.' IThe Ymap stripl is supported'be- 'tween'.'a pair of" rollers il 'and "73,"'Which'jare mounted in a'ro'tatable ringf'i5connected` t'obe driven by a compass repeater. Tli'estripis wound cna pair of rollers I6 'and'lLwhich may beconne'cted "with 'knobs to "enable the Strip ,"69 to 'be rolled'fromone tothe other.

" Thus' the invention 'nasjjbeenj'dscnbed Vas a 'device i for plotting automatically the position 'of I aV mobile craft upon a 'map carried bythe craft.

"'AIhis is accomplished by' positioning am'ap' in 'alignment with lthe corresponding terrain by means of a 'repeatin'gcompass`, and 'positioning a. pair of reticulated transpar'entl members over Ath'emap inl'accordancewithradiobearings on 'stations 'of known'lo'cationsby 'means 'of self-` orientng direction finders. `I` claim as my invention:

1'.' Anautomatic 'direct indicatingradio* posi- 'tion ndervin'cluding an earthfcompass;repeaterY means controlledl by said earth "compassg a 'rotatable map vsupport' positioned byfsai'd'repeater means in accordance with theV indications fsaid' compass, a self -o/rie'ntinggr radio direction'finder and repeater means controlled b'y vsaid"radio'c'lirec- "tion finder, a Aplurality of reticulatedtransparent members supported coaxiall'y and rotatably'abovc said mapV support and arranged'to vbe` "p'os'itioned bysaiddirection'nder 'controlledrepeat'er means, means for tuning said''lirec'tion nder alternately to the frequencies of radio transmitters ofk'n'own locations; e and 'synchronously connecting "said re- 'peat'er means to control successively" corresponding reticulated' members; and meansfor' 'connect- `ing'said earth compassrepeatenineans to ontrol ""each of said reticulatedj members whennotfsubject to` control bysaid radio fdire'ction Afinder, wh'ereby'the positionsof'said 'r'eticiilated members rover' a map' placedV on-'said map; support presents fa visualy indication ofthe'position' ofl said-*radio direction finden with' respect to 'the positions of the radio transmitters to which? rit lis* responsive.

' A 2.-'-An fautomatic f directf indicating radio 5position nder comprising a rotatable map supporting member in the form of a ring carrying parallel transversely disposed map supporting rollers arranged to display a selected portion of a map in the form of a strip adapted to be connected at its ends to two of said rollers and manually operable knobs connected to said two rollers, a repeating compass connected to said map supporting member whereby said member is maintained in a. constant alignment with respect to the surface of the earth, self orienting radio compass means selectively responsive to a pair of radio transmitters, and a pair of transparent reticulated members rotatably supported over said map supporting member and connected to said self orienting radio compass means whereby each of said reticulatd'members is maintained in a constant alignment with respect to the respective bearings of said pair of radio transmitting stations.

3. An automatic direct indicating position finder including an earth compass. repeater means controlled by said earth compass, a rotatable map support positioned by said repeater means in accordance with the indications of said cornpass, a self orienting radio direction finder and repeater means controlled by said radio direction finder, a plurality of reticulated transparent members supported coaxially and rotatably by said map support and arranged to be positioned by said direction finder controlled repeater means,

' nected to said two rollers, a repeating compass means for tuning said direction nder alternately to the frequencies of radio transmitters of known locations and synchronously connecting said repeater means to control successively corresponding reticulated members, whereby the positions of said reticulated members over a map placed on said map support presents a visual indication of the position of said radio direction nnder with respect to the positions of the radio transmitters to which it is tuned.

4. A direct indicating radio position finder including a rotatable ring shaped map-supporting member carrying parallel rollers arranged to display a selected portion of a map in the form of a strip adapted to be connected at its ends to two of said rollers, manually operable knobs conconnected to said map-supporting member, to maintain said supporting member iny constant alignment with respect to the surface of the earth, self orienting radio compass means selectively responsive to a pair of radio transmitters, and a pair of transparent reticulated members rotatably supported over said map-supporting member and connected to said radio compass means to maintain each of said reticulated means in a constant alignment with respect to the respective bearings of said selected pair of radio transmitters.

DAVID G. C. LUCK. 

